PAAC Global Vision Summit on Climate Change

On Saturday, March 3, the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council brought together 189 students from 27 high schools on 5 islands for their Global Vision Summit on Climate Change hosted at UH West Oahu. Students played the roles of delegates representing specific nations, negotiating blocs, or interests groups. The goal was to reach a global agreement that keeps global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celcius. The simulation utilized C-ROADS, a computer simulator that shows the long-term climate impacts of negotiated policy actions. I had a great time participating as the Community Expert for the US negotiating team. Other experts advising the student teams were drawn from the United Nations Development Programme, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the East-West Center, the Hawaii Institute for Human Rights, the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Tsuchiyama & Associates, and the Australian Consulate-General in Honolulu.